It may not always give you the nuts, but a nut flush is the strongest drawing hand you can have in online poker. When played correctly, this powerful holding can help you build the pot and extract maximum value when you crush your opponents at showdown. Played incorrectly, though, a poker nut flush can leave you high and dry with a depleted bankroll. Read this article to unpack the meaning of this poker term and glean some tips on how best to play a nut flush in poker.

Nut Flush Meaning

A flush is one of the strongest hands in poker, second only to four-of-a-kind and a straight flush. If your hole cards are suited, there’s an 11% chance that you’ll be able to play a flush draw. Not all flushes are equal, however, and your poker strategy should vary depending on whether you’re drawing to a weak flush or a nut flush.

This poker term refers to the best possible flush that any player can make with the cards on the current board. In other words, if you have the nut flush, then no other player can beat you with a flush. Say, for example, you’re playing Texas hold’em with king-jack clubs in the hole. By the river, the board shows Q-A-2 clubs and 2-5 diamonds. Not only does this give you a flush in the suit of clubs, but the fact that you’re holding the king with the ace already on the board means that you have the nut flush. As a result, the chances that you have the strongest hand are very good. So you bet big on the river. Your opponent calls, but they only have 7-6 clubs in the hole. Their flush is weaker than yours, so you win the hand.

Not the Nuts

It’s important to realize that drawing to a nut flush in poker doesn’t mean you automatically have the nuts. Take the following example. You’re holding A-K clubs, and the board is 5-6-7 clubs and 7-2 diamonds. With an ace-high flush, you’re confident that your hand is best, so when your opponent goes all-in on the river, you call. Unfortunately, your opponent turns over 8-9 clubs, giving them a straight flush. Maybe the river shove should have been a clue.

Playing a Poker Nut Flush

You know you stand a chance to make a nut flush if you start the game with two high-suited connectors and the flop gives you one or more cards in the same suit. What happens next depends on your preflop action and table position.

If you called preflop and you’re in position, you should lean towards calling with a nut-flush draw. If you miss, you can always check back on the river. If you hit, a big raise will scare off your opponents.

If you called preflop and you’re out of position, you can’t just check and see the next street. If you miss your draw, your opponent will often be able to bluff you off your hand. This makes check-raising a good approach in this situation.

If you were the preflop aggressor and the flop gives you a nut-flush draw, you’ll have a big range advantage. As a result, you should usually maintain the aggression. The exception would be with low and very connected flops. Examples range from 3-4-5 to 6-7-8, with two cards in the same suit. These flops can easily hit the caller’s range, so take your foot off the gas and play more passively instead.

It’s less simple if you raised preflop and are out of position. If your opponent calls, you need to put them on a range and figure out how well their range hits the flop. Generally speaking, a middle or low flop is good for their range, in which case you should play more defensively. This means checking with your nut-flush draw. A higher flop is good for your range, so you can bet a great deal more.

High Kicker, Low Kicker

Something else to bear in mind when playing a nut-flush draw in poker is whether you have a high or low kicker. When playing A-x suited, it makes sense to bet with a low kicker (e.g. A-2 or A-5 suited) and check with a high kicker (e.g. A-K or A-J). The reason is that you really want your opponent to also have a flush draw for you to crush. With a high kicker hand like Big Slick or Armani Jeans (to give them their card nicknames), you’re blocking more of the flush draws in your opponent’s range, so they’ll be more likely to fold to your bet. Conversely, a low kicker gives them a better chance to draw a flush. If they think they’re ahead, they’ll come along and build the pot, which is exactly what you want.

Get Started With Borgata Online Poker

Are you ready to play real money poker? Enjoy the best gaming experience at Borgata Online. Play in cash games with bankroll-friendly stakes any time you like and compete for the honors in a broad range of poker tournaments with buy-ins to suit every player type. Register to get your online poker game on.